ABC Prepper

  It took over three hours at the dealership to go through all the paperwork and do the inspections, but we eventually got to drive her home. So far, I really like how she drives and handles. Over the first 100 miles thus far, I'm averaging about 23mpg. Not bad for a non-broken-in diesel. We had one minor issue yesterday, however, during a 20 mile drive to the hardware store. The radio was working perfectly when suddenly it developed a ton of static on all the stations. Sirius, AM, and FM. The only one that didn't have this issue was the bluetooth connection to my phone (e.g., playing podcasts). Initially, I tried resetting fuses and tightening the antenna; all to no avail. Eventually, I discovered a thread on a Wrangler forum that suggested resetting the Uconnect system by simultaneously pressing and holding the tuning and volume buttons for 15 seconds. This worked and everything seems to A-OK now. Still, a little disconcerting... Anyway, overall I'm thrilled with the truc

 Gotta be honest: I'm very excited about picking up the JTRD today. But to be even more honest: I'm a little nervous about issues and reliability of a brand new Mopar. I've owned all makes and models of cars and trucks before (including a couple of actual Fiats), but have never formally owned a Mopar/Fiat-Chrysler vehicle before. Why? Well, historically, they weren't known as the most reliable cars and trucks around. I believe that has mostly changed, but I worry there's lingering things wrong. So, what to do? I'll be discussion some reliability things in upcoming posts, but the most important immediate thing I have to do is pick up the pickup (ha, see what I did there?) and ensure it's in the best possible state from day 1 of ownership. So, first things first: how do I ensure the JTRD is in pristine condition when I drive her home? Answer: do a thorough checkout and inspection at the dealership today  when  before they hand her over.  So how do I do that? A

The Gladiator is actually in town. The dealership called and said it was arriving via truck that day. They will then need a day or so to prep the truck, install tint, clean it up etc. Bottom line is I'm going to the dealership tomorrow (Saturday) at noon to take delivery. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I'm really, really looking forward to getting her home and starting the whole Jeep experience. Can. Not. Wait!

  Being as I'm a car guy, and being as this is a Jeep, there's no doubt I'm going to make some modifications to the vehicle. I will hold off on many of these until I get some miles under her and see what I like and what I want to change, but there are a few changes on my list that will need to take place relatively quickly. One of the first will probably be larger diameter tires. As mentioned in previous posts, I intend to take the Gladiator off-road. Heck, it's one of the primary reasons we settled on Jeeps as our primary vehicles-- we need a reliable means of getting up to the family cabin on a regular basis. And as I also mentioned, the road to the cabin requires a very capable off-road vehicle, complete with high-ground clearance and excellent traction. Stock, the Rubicon Gladiator comes with 33-inch LT285/70R17C All-Terrain (AT) tires mounted on 17-inch x 7.5-inch Granite Crystal Aluminum (standard) wheels. These might be sufficient for getting to the cabin, but if

  This is an interesting question. My previous truck (2017 Ford F250) had a 6.7-liter diesel that was an amazing engine. If it weren't for the overall size of the vehicle (plus the amazing trade-in value they offered us), I probably never would have sold that truck. It got decent mileage, pulled incredibly well, and had amazing torque. Great truck—but far too big. Fast-forward to the Gladiator. We had a choice of the 3.6-liter gas Pentastar of the 3.0-liter turbocharged EcoDiesel. The Pentastar is a very well-proven and reliable power-plant, having been around for many, many years and used by countless Jeep owners with excellent long-term results.  In contrast, the Diesel is newer and, well, less-well-proven. Further, it's a more complex European-based engine, and has a very complicated and overly engineered exhaust and pollution control system. And, to add insult to injury, the price of diesel in recent months has skyrocketed.  But we still went with the diesel engine. The rea

 So why a Rubicon, and not one of the other trims? I need a Jeep primarily for its off-road capability. As mentioned before, my wife and I frequently travel to our remote family cabin, and getting there requires serious 4x4 capabilities (and driver skills, too, to be honest). Traveling to the cabin is not for the feint of heart. It's also not for a less-than-capable 4x4 vehicle. Because of a section of  long, deep, sandy wash (arroyo, or dry river bed for those unfamiliar with the terminology), we've found we need relatively wide tires and a lockable rear differential.  And for the final ~2 miles of single-track, rutted, steep, rocky sections of the road, we've frequently needed to lock both front and rear differentials. If I were going to build a hardcore rock crawler, I might have actually started with a lower trim model and then upgraded axles, tires, and wheels. But I don't need those things; I just need the basics of a stout axle (the Dana 44's are sufficient)

 So, why do I need/want a Gladiator? Heck, why do I need a pickup? First, I'm a truck guy. Always have been. I've owned one truck or another pretty much my entire adult life. I do a lot of home DIY stuff, from building sheds & porches, to remodels, to, well, you name it. I've hauled all manner of stuff, plus I have a 14-foot single-axle trailer that I tow regularly. Second, we are one of those rare families that actually use four-wheel drive on their vehicles on a regular basis. We have a remote cabin that we visit regularly. To access the cabin requires serious 4x4 capabilities, as the miles-long "road" (if you can call it that) is combination of sandy wash, steep rutted single-track, and some honest-to-goodness rock-crawling in parts. Four wheel drive, high-ground clearance, and lockers literally are required to get to the cabin. I'm also a big fan of solid front axles, especially of the Dana variety. Again, the nature of just getting to our cabin puts a

 This is my first blog post documenting the purchase, modifications, and use of a 2022 Jeep Gladiator with the Eco-Diesel and Rubicon package. We ordered this vehicle back in March 2022, and I've recently learned that it's (finally) on a train to Arizona, where my wife and I live. Hopefully, within two weeks or so, the vehicle will sit in our driveway. Note also that we actually ordered a second Jeep at the same time. The second vehicle is a 2022 Jeep 2-Door Wrangler Sport-S model that is primarily intended for my wife to drive. I'll be occasionally documenting the purchase, mods, and use of that Jeep in this blog as well. Unfortunately, at the time of this post, FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automotive) haven't actually scheduled a build date for the Wrangler, so we might still be months away from receiving it. Regardless, I'm glad you found this blog. Hopefully, you'll get some use out of my ramblings and thoughts about the Gladiator (and Wrangler). We've never owned